Largo XIII de Maio Station, Sao Paulo

BRAZIL
Sao Pualo

Architect:
Joao Walter Toscano, Odilea H. Setti Toscano, Sao Pualo

Structural Engineer:
Escritorio Tecnico J.C. Figueire do Ferrax, Sao Pualo

The aesthetic and structural possibilities of steel have been exploited to the full in this striking new suburban railway station in Sao Paulo. Its strong architectural identity stems from the spatial organisation along a narrow strip of land between a highway and the river and from the structural ribs of the portal frame spanning the tracks and supporting the mezzanine floor above the platforms. A compact and articulated complex of volumes makes up the station: the main building, the clock tower and the walkway. The latter projects at right angles to the main building, spanning the highway and linking the station with connection buses. The whole complex maintains, through its transparence, a strong reference to and integration with the surrounding city and riverside. Coloured wall panels at the level of the mezzanine floor draw attention to the distribution of closed and open elements.